Sonic Mania: How to Play As Super Sonic

Sonic the Hedgehog is back in Sonic Mania, a brand-new, retro-themed addition to Sega's storied franchise. Sonic's the fastest gaming mascot around, but his Super Sonic form amps up the speed to 11. This guide will tell you how to play as Super Sonic in Sonic Mania, and share tips on controlling the character's regular and Super incarnations.

How to Unlock Super Sonic: Collect Chaos Emeralds

Super Sonic may as well be called Secret Sonic: You can't play as him unless you know where to look. Unlocking the super hedgehog requires you to collect all seven Chaos Emeralds in the game. Each emerald is found in a Special Stage accessible by looking for giant, golden rings in each level. Gold rings tend to be stashed away behind walls and other hard-to-reach areas. To find them, you'll want to slow down and look in areas not accessible by usual means such as loop-de-loops.

Once you find a golden ring, jumping into it to enter a Special Stage. The goal within is to chase and catch the UFO carrying one of the Chaos Emeralds. Catch up to it, and the Chaos Emerald it carried is yours. There are seven Chaos Emeralds hidden in Special Stages throughout Sonic Mania. Collect all seven, and you'll unlock Super Sonic.

How to Unlock Super Sonic: Playing as Super Sonic

Once you've collected all Chaos Emeralds, you can transform into Super Sonic in any level of the game. If you thought Sonic was fast, wait until you get a load of his super form. Upon transforming into Super Sonic, the famous blue hedgehog moves even faster—so much faster that he hovers above the ground as he runs. More acceleration means Sonic jumps farther; use that to your advantage to leap over obstacles. Super Sonic also boasts invincibility, so don't sweat lava and most other traps.

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.